My colleague Jane Merrick has learned that Susan Kramer walked out of a “shadow cabinet” meeting this morning in a symbolic show of frustration over the leader’s confused position on an EU referendum. She was followed by David Heath. Bizarrely, Ms Kramer will abstain with Mr Clegg tomorrow, while Mr Heath will defy the Whip by voting for a referendum.

As LDV reported yesterday, when a Maastricht Treaty referendum was debated in Parliament in 1993, the party was also split – but on that occasion, a free vote was offered, sparing any political embarrassment. Why not this time?

Update (8.40 am, 5/3/08): Adrian Sanders gives the real reason for the ‘walk-out’, in the comments below. Some uninformed tittle-tattle from Mr Brogan, it seems.